THE NUMBER 1 THING

As you might recall, in the 1991 film, "City Slickers," three friends take a vacation together on a dude ranch. They're struggling with their personal lives and they've decided to get away from it all. The movie was filled with humor. I enjoyed it, and especially the relationship between Mitch Robbins (Billy Crystal) and Jack Palance, who played a rough-hewn trail boss named "Curly." Mitch epitomized "city," and Curly was the very essence of "the frontier." They struggled throughout the movie and in one memorable scene, Curly held up one finger and said, "Do you know what the secret of life is?" "This," he said (holding up his finger), to which Mitch responded, "Your finger?" Curly went on as if he hadn't heard Mitch, "One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and the rest don't mean (anything)." Then, Mitch asked a good question, "But, what is the 'one thing'?" Smiling, Curly said, "That's what 'you' have to figure out."

Indeed, that's what we all have to figure out- the number one thing. What is the most important thing in the world to us? What give meaning to our lives? What one thing would we die for, or even live entirely for? Have you figured it out? I have... finally... but it took a lot of tears and a considerable amount of pain. As a child growing up, I wasn't comfortable with who I was. I thought I was a good person, but I wasn't proud of myself and I certainly didn't have any compelling purpose in my life. Since our family lived with a lot of tension, I became a pretty good peacemaker, and later on, I specialized in pleasing people. I learned to smooth things over, and better yet, to tell people what they wanted to hear. "Getting along" became my number 1 thing, but "getting along" is not much of a goal, especially if you're selling your soul to get along. Also, while growing up, I learned that work is next to godliness, maybe higher, and like my father before me, I threw myself into it. My vocation was my life. My job and I were one. My sense of personal worth was inseparable from my business success. I worshiped my job and abandoned family, friends, and my own best self. Work became my number 1 thing and it nearly killed me before I escaped its grip. To tell the truth, I'm something of a workaholic, which is undoubtedly the real reason I reneged on my decision to retire, but I've discovered that work is NOT the number 1 thing.

Pleasure- having a good time- was also a contender for number 1 in my life. Eat, drink, be merry- I tried that for years... until the drink took over and killed what little joy there was. For awhile, as I have noted in many other places, alcohol set on the throne in my life. It was my number 1 thing, and at first, it rewarded me with a sense of being somebody. When I drank, I danced like Fred Astaire, said things that seemed really witty, and generally felt as if the world was mine for the taking. But that was only "at first." Before long, my number 1 thing turned on me, and when I drank, people stayed as far away from me as they could. Substances- alcohol, drugs, food- can never be anyone's number 1 thing, and it's somewhat silly to think that they could be. So, I gave myself to appearances and possessions. I would go to any length to make a good impression on others because I wanted them to think that I was somebody who had it together. I bought a big house that I didn't need, pricey golf clubs that I wasn't good enough to benefit from, and gave a lot of things away- all in an effort to make an impression on others. Convincing others that I was somebody became my number 1 thing, but I would've been better advised to work on really becoming the best person I could be. Pretending can never be the number 1 thing- not for me- not for anyone else- because authenticity is our greatest gift to self and others.  I could go on and talk about power and other things that have taken their turn as number 1 in my life, but I will get to the crux of the matter and confess it right here: I have always worshiped what Kenneth Haugk called the "omnipotent baby within." I- me, myself- was my number 1 thing.  My self-worship and self-indulgence took many forms... but when you got right down to it, I was my own number 1 thing. I was the center of my universe and I was the one who needed encouragement and all the love I could give. I lived for me, but let me tell you, if you are your own number 1 thing, you are in a heap of trouble! Bill Wilson (of AA fame) noted that a life lived on self-will cannot be a success, and Jesus noted that those who cling to their lives will lose them. This is because "the self" is too small, too incomplete, too impotent... to soothe our troubled minds and give our restless souls the peace they crave. 

Only God has the power to make any of us SOMEBODY, and we will never be anybody without Him. Self CANNOT be the number 1 thing... because God is, and He always has been. Look, we all have needs. We have fears, secrets, desires, and dreams. We want to love and we need to be loved, and whether we know it or not, we long to walk with God again, just like Adam and Eve did in that garden of theirs. We will never be complete without God, and we must put God first whenever He is near. We have other things to do, of course. God knows this. He created us in community, gave us work to do, and calls us to serve Him in the way we treat others. Life is filled with important responsibilities and serving our guests is one of them. Jesus knew this. The ancient law of hospitality demanded it, and Jesus did not chastise Martha for doing her duties. However, Mary DID choose the better thing...because she put God first. She set "what others would think of her" aside and invested wholly in Christ while he was teaching in her home. She wouldn't let others set up boundaries that Jesus had not imposed and she knew the difference between ordinary time and sacred time.

When Sherry and I first joined a church, one of the mainstays of that church was a deacon whom I will call "Matt." Matt was always in the church. He arrived early, set the thermostat, arranged tables, passed out bulletins, answered questions, and often left the sanctuary to check on other things. He did all of these things and he did them every week... but he seldom heard a complete sermon or even the most of it. He was too busy to listen to God's word. He was too busy to be challenged and/or comforted by the living word of God, and therefore, he never had the opportunity to struggle with his own faithfulness and discipleship. There is no doubt that Matt kept "the train running on time," but he didn't choose the number 1 thing. Friends, serving God is the number 1 thing, and here's a bit of really good news: when we surrender to Him, we will discover the fullness of life! When we yoke ourselves to Christ, we are FREE from the chains of self for the first time... and as free men and women, we can give ourselves entirely to God and in the giving, come to love our neighbors as ourselves.  "Freedom," the Eagles sang, "Ah, that's just somebody talking. Your prison is walking through this world all alone." Yes it's true: living for yourself is foolish. Being your own number I thing is a prison! Choose God and set yourself free. Serve Him and you will be SOMEBODY. God is the number 1 thing. Amen.